busy season: 22, 23, 24-27

These days the map room has been a hoppin’… and it’s fair to assess a universal acclaim for my color-coded bookshelf!!! I guess it is a bit inward-looking to only talk about my guests and not offer insight and updates on my neighborhood. But, what does one say about the grey icy muck of leftover snow and ice? I think the metaphor of finding one’s joy by looking inward must apply in this situation: I’ve had some wonderful, warm and winter-repelling house guests this season! Right now Daniel is bringing some Brazilian summer energy into the apartment and last week Mary Ann brought tastes of Venice (no, I’m not just hosting people from carnivàle zones) by which I mean those tasty little chocolate-hazelnut candies and 12-year aged parmesan … please keep coming back!!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll trade apartments with a friend in São Paulo, and the whole team from GastroMotiva (also from São Paulo) will stay here for the week of their benefit dinner @ Eleven Madison Park. While I love hosting, I’ve asked this last round of guests from São Paulo for some specific support to my Lanchonete.org project in exchange: Daniel helped me translate a grant application into Portuguese; Thaís is hosting me on my next trip to Brazil; and the good folks at GastroMotiva are helping us double-check our budgets for the restaurant side of the project. There is something very refreshing about bartering … still trying to put my finger on it.